José María Martínez y Ramón street

Formerly, this street was called “La Estrella”. Pablo del Río and Serafín Escalante tells us  in their books that this name came from a popular opinion that Gabino Teira revealed: because you could perfectly see the Pole Star from Teira´s house.

I´m talking about the biography of José María Martínez   y  Ramón. This Torrelaveguense   was born on 16th

October at nº 15 ”El Comercio”  street, Torrelavega. He was a good student. His father wanted José María to study engineering he had an ecclesiastic   vocation. They didn´t agree so they didn´t choose any of these careers and he went to Barcelona and studied law. He had a job until 1902, because he didn´t believe in the politics of day so he went to work to Bailén  (Jaén). Here, he worked with great success his attorney´s job  while he was playing the role of a writer and poet. In 1902 he wrote “Grandezas de un cura” dedicated to Ceferino Calderón  which   narrated the difficulties of this parson for occupying a parish in  1879. In 1908he wrote a brilliant and convincing novel called “Analisis de Peñas  Arriba” which was rewarded in Deusto and it was printed with Antonio´s  Fernández printing. Also, in 1912 wrote “Males que trajeron a España las Cortes de  Cádiz”

and “Dogma sobre la Inmaculada”  which won prizes  Teruel  and Deusto respectively. He went to “El Escorial” where he was surprised because of the war. He travelled to Madrid and there, he was arrested, but some of his servants were able to transfer him to Cervera, (Lérida), where he died the 10th  October .

Although it seems that he always stayed outside of Torrelavega, it isn´t. For example, he was a lieutenant standard-bear of “El Batallón Infantil” and he published a lot of articles in our newspaper like in “El Aladid”. All his work has been collected by his nieces Amparo and Socorro Martínez  Sollet  in an article of “El Impulsor”.

On the 1st July   1921 our town hall decided to change the name of a street and agreed to give the name “Martínez y Ramón” dedicated to the poet José María y Ramón.

Bibliography: Torrelavega´s Newspaper Library and the book  “Torrelavega en su historia”, by Pablo del Río Gatoó. Publisher: there isn´t.

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